Living Large In DC: FIRST LADY REQUIRES MORE THAN 20 ATTENDANTS

[Abominab1e]

An email I received today:

FIRST LADY REQUIRES MORE THAN TWENTY ATTENDANTS

By Dr. Paul L Williams* and the staff of thelastcrusade.org

“In my own life, in my own small way, I have tried to give back to this country that has given me so much,” she said. “See, that’s why I left a job at a big law firm for a career in public service, “ Michelle Obama.

No, Michele Obama does not get paid to serve as the First Lady and she doesn’t perform any official duties. But, this hasn’t deterred her from hiring an unprecedented number of staffers to cater to her every whim and to satisfy her every request in the midst of the Great Recession. Just think: Mary Lincoln was taken to task for purchasing china for the White House during the Civil War. And, Mamie Eisenhower had to shell out the salary for her personal secretary.

How things have changed! If you’re one of the tens of millions of Americans facing certain destitution, earning less than subsistence wages, stocking the shelves at Wal-Mart or serving up McDonald cheeseburgers, prepare to scream and then come to realize that the benefit package for these servants of Miz First Lady Michele are the same as members of the national security and defense departments. Furthermore, John Q. Public pays the bill for these assorted lackeys. Here is a list of her personal helpers: Total of salaries listed for personal attendants - $1,564,500!

$172,200 - Sher, Susan (CHIEF OF STAFF)
$140,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PROJECTS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$113,000 - Rogers, Desiree G. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL SECRETARY)
$102,000 Johnston, Camille Y. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
Winter, Melissa E. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
$90,000 Medina, David S. (DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
$84,000 Lelyveld, Catherine M. (DIRECTOR AND PRESS SECRETARY TO THE FIRST LADY)
$75,000 Starkey, Frances M. (DIRECTOR OF SCHEDULING AND ADVANCE FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$70,000 Sanders, Trooper (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PROJECTS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$65,000 Burnough, Erinn J. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY SOCIAL SECRETARY)
Reinstein, Joseph B. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY SOCIAL SECRETARY)
$62,000 Goodman, Jennifer R. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF SCHEDULING AND EVENTS COORDINATOR FOR THE FIRST LADY)
$60,000 Fitts, Alan O. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ADVANCE AND TRIP DIRECTOR FOR THE FIRST LADY)
Lewis, Dana M. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT AND PERSONAL AIDE TO THE FIRST LADY)
$52,500 Mustaphi, Semonti M. (ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY TO THE FIRST LADY)
$50,000 Jarvis, Kristen E. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT FOR SCHEDULING AND TRAVELING AIDE TO THE FIRST LADY)
$45,000 Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE FIRST LADY) Tubman, Samantha (DEPUTY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, SOCIAL OFFICE)
$40,000 Boswell, Joseph J. (EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
$36,000 Armbruster, Sally M. (STAFF ASSISTANT TO THE SOCIAL SECRETARY)
Bookey, Natalie (STAFF ASSISTANT)
Jackson, Deilia A. (DEPUTY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE FIRST LADY)

 

[Gainster]

Your Tax Dollars at Work: Supporting Michelle Obama in the Manner
Ralph Alter
The figures are in. As required by Congress since 1995, salaries paid to staffers employed in the West Wing of the White House must be publicly reported. Most of you won't be pleased to learn that your tax dollars are paying $1,448,500 annually to provide the First Lady, Michelle Obama, with the staff she feels she needs to execute her duties as FLOTUS.

For purposes of comparison, please consult Dan Froomkin's 2004 White House Staff List-By Salary published in the Washington Post on June 13, 2004. Tallying Laura Bush's staff from the list provided by Froomkin totals $561,325 in annual salaries for the former First Lady's staff.


This number does not include White House maintenance or kitchen staff or the occasional pizza night with Barack and Michelle flying in the chef from a St. Louis restaurant to kick back and share some deep dish with 140 of their close personal friends. Nor does it include date nights in Chicago.


And it certainly doesn't include Michelle's European vacation with her daughters. In fact, CNS reports that


"the White House will not reveal the cost to taxpayers of the European vacation that first lady Michelle Obama and the president's two daughters, Malia and Sasha, took last month."


Despite deploying multiple aircraft, a huge staff and a motorcade of 20 vehicles including support staff on tours of London and Paris and la-di-da, apparently the White House feels there is some sort of executive privilege involved in withholding the cost of the First Family's extravagances from the citizens who foot the bill for them.


Perhaps they thought we wouldn't notice?


"It was supposed to be a secret trip, but the motorcade gave it away." (ibid)


Ralph Alter blogs at Right on Target

 

[ericsmallbore]

If this was Palin the media would destroy her!! I'm sure you will be called a racist for posting this. LOL

 

[T-Bone]

Is it wrong that as soon as I saw this the theme song from the Jeffersons started playing in my head?

 

[woodzy]

Transparency..

 

[ericsmallbore]

transparency..

lmao!!!!

 

[Abominab1e]

Is it wrong that as soon as I saw this the theme song from the Jeffersons started playing in my head?

LMAO! When I posted this I first titled it "Well were movin' on up!" but I didn't want to sound racist so I changed it.

 

[maluchm]

Double standard libs bashed and ridiculed Palin for buying some new suites durring the presidential race.

 

[Sidehiller]

Oh come on guys! I don't think this is out of line at all! I'm sure it is all needed to maintain good will with foreign leaders. After all, 12 of those people are probably make up artists assigned to her to keep visiting dignitaries from upchucking at the introductions!

 

[motojunkie101]

they'll abuse the system until they piss off enough americans...

 

[Gainster]

they'll abuse the system until they piss off enough americans...

BINGO! The beltway crew has got away with so much BS for so long they honestly think they are above the voters. I wish the media would take a stand for the people & expose the cheats for a good old fashon house cleaning

Members of the House Financial Services Committee, which is playing a critical role in restructuring the nation's reeling financial, banking and housing sectors, have received nearly $63 million in campaign contributions from the industries they oversee.

A new analysis of campaign finance data by Public Campaign Action Fund, which provided an advance preview to the Huffington Post, shows that financial, insurance and real estate interests donated a combined $62.9 million to the 71 members of the House Financial Services Committee.

The hefty donations reflect the extent to which key companies and individuals of the financial sector have attempted to exert their influence on legislative debates even before the recent economic collapse. For good-government groups, the findings also raise a bevy of questions over just how neutral lawmakers have been in crafting solutions toward getting the financial markets and Wall Street on more stable footing.

"Wall Street and their allies on Capitol Hill should not write the rules that govern the financial, banking, and housing industries," said David Donnelly, national campaigns directory for Public Campaign Action Fund, in a prepared statement. "Their years of influence peddling, big money campaign contributions, and unaccountable rampant greed got us into this mess."

"Americans know that campaign contributions matter," Donnelly added. "Members of Congress will be held accountable for whether they side with Wall Street and the big banks or if they side with the rest of us to restore some stability and responsibility to the marketplace."

In its release, Public Campaign Action Fund notes that more than half a dozen trade organizations from these same industries were currently gearing up to defeat the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency -- a key component of the Obama administration's attempt to overhaul regulatory reform. With major policy overhauls like these set to be considered by Congress, campaign donations have, not surprisingly, ticked up. In the first quarter of 2009 alone, the financial, insurance and real estate industries donated $2.25 million to House Financial Service Committee members.

The top two recipients of contributions among committee members are Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), who received $3.62 million and Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), who took in $3.12 million

 

[ccoleman77]

That chick is Psycho. I'm surprised half of them aren't psychiatrists to keep her drugged up and not let her true personality show.

 

[Gainster]

Thank you Dr. Williams from Canada for being more American than most Americans!

July 09, 2009
Queen-like staff support for First Lady
Ethel C. Fenig
Dr. Paul L. Williams of Canada Free Press details how our tax dollars are stimulating shovel ready projects to support Michelle Obama in the style to which she feels she should be accustomed.

A few examples of salaries for her bloated staff:


1.$172,2000 - Sher, Susan (CHIEF OF STAFF)
2.$140,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PROJECTS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
3.$113,000 - Rogers, Desiree G. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL SECRETARY)
4.$102,000 - Johnston, Camille Y. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
5.Winter, Melissa E. (SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
6.$90,000 - Medina, David S. (DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE FIRST LADY)
7.$84,000 - Lelyveld, Catherine M. (DIRECTOR AND PRESS SECRETARY TO THE FIRST LADY)
8.$75,000 - Starkey, Frances M. (DIRECTOR OF SCHEDULING AND ADVANCE FOR THE FIRST LADY)
9.$70,000 - Sanders, Trooper (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND PROJECTS FOR THE FIRST LADY)
10.$65,000 - Burnough, Erinn J. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY SOCIAL SECRETARY)
11.Reinstein, Joseph B. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY SOCIAL SECRETARY)
12.$62,000 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF SCHEDULING AND EVENTS COORDINATOR FOR THE FIRST LADY)
There's more at the link.

By comparison


Mary Lincoln was taken to task for purchasing china for the White House during the Civil War. And Mamie Eisenhower had to shell out the salary for her personal secretary.


Because of the increasing demands on presidents' wives in recent years, partially because of the obsessive celebrity culture, resulting in an expanded public role, I don't begrudge tax dollars for Michelle Obama's social secretary, a few chefs, maybe another employee or two or even listing some nice clothes as a legitimate business expense.

But given President Barack Obama's (D) very public scolding to companies who received bailout money not to host lavish business conventions and such, the Congressional grilling of auto executives who flew to Washington on private planes instead of commercial or even using their own cars and similar public put downs, this lavish retinue of numerous (mostly) ladies in waiting reeks of a certain je ne sais quoi, let them eat cake mentality.

Perhaps Ms. Obama's staff should follow the example set by her husband's staff and blame--or in this instance, learn--everything on the situation she inherited. As Ralph Alter pointed out yesterday


For purposes of comparison, please consult Dan Froomkin's 2004 White House Staff List-By Salary published in the Washington Post on June 13, 2004. Tallying Laura Bush's staff from the list provided by Froomkin totals $561,325 in annual salaries for the former First Lady's staff.


In other words, even accounting for inflation, Laura Bush's expenses were less than half of Ms. Obama's--and this was in those flush times derided by Obama fans. If Michelle Obama wants to be involved in more projects than those required by her husband's job, that is her personal choice. And it should be her personal expense.